Project Greensand: A Milestone in Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage

INEOS and its partners in Project Greensand, a groundbreaking initiative focused on establishing a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain offshore Denmark by 2026, have recently made a significant development in selecting a provider for an offshore CO2 injection system for the project.

APL, a leading offshore technology provider and a part of oilfield services company NOV, has been awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction contract (EPC) to deliver the offshore injection system. This system will enable the direct injection of CO2 from transport vessels into the reservoir, marking APL’s entry into a new market with the Greensand project being one of the first applications of this technology for offshore CO2 injection.

Kurt Jager Lykke, Head of Project Greensand in INEOS Energy, emphasized the importance of CCS in the energy transition, stating, “CCS is going to play a vital role in the energy transition, and with Greensand becoming the first CO2 storage facility in the EU, we take a giant and important step toward large-scale storage of CO2 from European emitters.” He further added, “Effective and safe transportation and transfer of CO2 will be crucial. Therefore, we are happy to enter into a partnership with APL on the delivery of the Offshore Injection System for Greensand.”

Project Greensand achieved a significant milestone on March 8, 2023, with the first-ever injection of CO2 in the North Sea, demonstrating the feasibility of transporting captured CO2 across borders and storing it offshore. In early December 2024, INEOS, along with partners Harbour Energy and Nordsøfonden, reached the final investment decision (FID) to invest in the Greensand Future Project, the first commercial phase of the Greensand initiative that will establish Denmark’s first CO2 storage site at the Nini field in the Danish North Sea.

The Greensand Future Project aims to initially store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, with plans to increase capacity to up to 8 million tonnes annually by 2030. The CO2 in the first phase of Greensand Future will be captured and liquified at Danish biomethane production plants, transported to the port of Esbjerg, and then shipped by Royal Wagenborg to the Nini West reservoir to be stored 1,800 meters below the seabed.

A pivotal role in the project will be played by the recently launched Carbon Destroyer 1 – ‘the first’ European-built offshore CO2 carrier. This innovative vessel, built according to the EasyMax design jointly developed by Royal Wagenborg and Royal Niestern Sander shipyard, features a cargo capacity of approximately 5,000 tons of liquid CO2 and meets the latest standards for safety, fuel efficiency, and low emissions.